


Of Time and the Healing of Wounds

by Mattecat



Series: Digitaltimeshipping & Related Stories [1]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: F/M, Forgiveness, Trans Character, Trans Female Acronix, Trans Female Character, don't @ me im chilling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-18 03:36:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15476802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mattecat/pseuds/Mattecat
Summary: Cyrus tries to find closure with Acronix, and finds that the relationship they end up building is one he wants to last into the future.





	Of Time and the Healing of Wounds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [timetwins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/timetwins/gifts).



> i walk into the ninjago fandom. i drop an almost 9k word acronix x cyrus borg fic. i leave the ninjago fandom.
> 
> anyway! this is a pairing that really grew on me (thank U reid timetwins). I was a little apprehensive at first bc of the whole kidnapping thing but I found a way to make it work, I think? acronix & krux get like 0 development in ninjago canon anyway so I do what I want.
> 
> important note: this fic includes the trans woman acronix headcanon, and while that's not my personal headcanon I wanted to surprise the person this fic is for (hi again reid) by including his headcanon & honestly I am Always supportive of trans headcanons. I am aware this makes the pairing "straight;" please remember that straight relationships with trans ppl are vastly different than the typical cishet romance, & like, I hope this fic makes it clear that this isn't supposed to be a genderbend so I can have a straight ship. I mean cmon im bi & trans & if you've seen my previous work you'd know I don't shy away from nonstraight pairings.
> 
> OK OK that's all enjoy the story!
> 
> (EDIT: BREAKING NEWS CARTER TERRY MATTECAT FORGETS A SUMMARY CAUSE THEY'RE A DING DONG)

It's been a few months since the incident with the Hands of Time. Cyrus has returned to his home in Borg Tower and life has returned to normal. Pixal checks in with him frequently, making sure he's kept in the loop of the ninja's actions as they search for their sensei.

Acronix and Krux have not made an appearance since leaving in the Iron Doom. Cyrus designed the time machine, he knows how it works – Wu took one of the timeblades out while they were traveling through time. There's no telling what effects that could have had. It was pure luck that Kai and Nya were able to arrive safely back in the present – it's safe to assume that the Hands of Time are lost in time forever.

And that's a _good_ thing, Cyrus tells himself, lost in thought even as the store manager talks to him. They kidnapped him, for goodness' sake! Forced him to build a device so they could take over Ninjago! Had their Vermillion Warriors threaten him! The list went on and on – and yet, Cyrus can't help but think…

"Mr. Borg? Are you listening?"

Cyrus shakes his head to collect his thoughts. "Sorry, I'm a little distracted," he says sheepishly. "What are we doing, now?"

The store manager is looking down at him in concern. "I was just going to give you a quick introduction of the new hires," she says. "It's not necessary; I know how busy you must be."

"Oh, no, I'd love to meet them!" Cyrus smiles. "Good to, ah, keep that connection, right?"

He has no idea what he's saying, but the manager nods. "I've had them gather in the break room," she says. "If you would come with me…"

The new employees snap their heads up from their conversations when Cyrus and the manager enter the room. "Don't be nervous," he says with a chuckle. "I'm only here to say hi, not to evaluate you. How do you like working here?"

His eyes fall on one employee in particular, a tall person who is hunched over in their seat. They're averting their eyes, but Cyrus can't help but stare at them. They look familiar in a way that makes him hyperaware of his heartbeat and sends a chill down his spine. Cyrus can't place a name to the face.

Then they lock eyes with him for one brief moment, and Cyrus recognizes –

"Acronix?!" he blurts out.

Some of the employees laugh nervously. "Told you you look like him," someone says to the employee. "Hey –"

The person who might be Acronix turns and bolts.

* * *

He manages to convince Krux that he needs to be alone to work. He can't escape the eyes of the Vermillion Warrior sent to watch him, but Cyrus can at least avoid the personal history he has with Sander Saunders. He builds the time machine in silence – apart from when he has a visitor.

Acronix knocks on the doorframe while entering the room – once, Cyrus didn't notice Acronix coming in until the younger time twin was right next to him, and he screamed, panicking them both. Since then, Acronix has made sure Cyrus knows when he's being visited; a small comfort in this horrible situation.

"How does this work?" Acronix says, holding the BorgPad and pulling out a chair to sit next to Cyrus. "I wanted to find out myself, so I took it apart last night, but –"

Cyrus blinks. "You what?"

"Took it apart!" Acronix grins. "It wasn't easy!"

"But…" The BorgPad is showing a "GAME OVER" screen for one of the games. Cyrus puts down his tools and picks it up, examining it. He's able to navigate through the apps normally, and he can't see anything off about how it's functioning. There's some scratches around the screw holes, but otherwise it seems to be in perfect condition. "How? I didn't try to make it difficult, I tried to make it impossible. For… security reasons, mostly."

Acronix takes it back from him. "For the little screws, I took the shell of a pen and melted it so the plastic would fit around the screw, but when I first tried it was too big to fit in the hole, so I had to make it thinner, somehow. That was the hardest part."

"Did you take the screen out? It doesn't look like…"

"Oh, I took that glass out. I wanted to know how it worked, but…" Acronix slumps back in the chair and groans. "It's completely incomprehensible! I don't understand any of it! How do all those little bits make what I see on the screen?"

A chuckle escapes him. Cyrus claps a hand to his mouth, but it's too late, the laugh is out there. Acronix glares at him, and Cyrus thinks –

When he had laughed at Krux, once, the older man had threatened to have Machia remove his vocal cords. He hadn't meant it, Cyrus tells himself, feeling his heart pounding. None of the Vermillion Warriors have done any physical harm to him. But it's terrifying, being in this situation, held against his will, powerless to do anything but what the Hands of Time want of him.

"Are you alright?"

Cyrus pulls himself together. Acronix is no longer glaring at him, instead looking at him in concern. Cyrus wordlessly picks his tools back up and resumes his work on the time machine.

Acronix stands up, says, "I'll leave you alone," and leaves.

* * *

The woman who ran away goes by Nyx, and she has been working at the store for about two months now, the longest time of the new hires. Cyrus apologizes to the manager for scaring her, and as soon as he gets home, he looks her up in the database.

Nyx Saunders is obviously Acronix.

Cyrus immediately does a search for everyone with the surname "Saunders," because if Acronix is back, Krux must be back as well. Though "Sander Saunders" returns nothing, there are a surprising amount of results for just the surname, too many to go through one by one and determine if any of them are Krux under a different name, so Cyrus sends an email to Pixal to ask her to check, and rolls his wheelchair back a few feet to think.

He then has to move forward to the computer again, because Pixal responds almost instantaneously, asking what brought this up. Cyrus hesitates, but Pixal will no doubt worry more if he doesn't respond.

 _Someone reminded me of Acronix, and now I'm worried,_ he writes. _It's probably nothing. You don't have to bother yourself with it._

Pixal's response comes back as fast as the first one did. _I will check for you. It's no trouble. I love you, Father._

Cyrus smiles and writes back, _I love you too,_ and feels at ease for about… two seconds.

There's still the question of why Acronix – or Nyx – is back at all. Cyrus opens up her file again and stares at the information. Though her gender identifier is still listed as male in the system, the store manager had been firm about referring to her as female, and risking transmisogyny and harassment just for the sake of a disguise seems far less likely than being a trans woman.

Cyrus considers his next course of action.

Really, the obvious thing to do would be to call the ninja and tell them what had happened, but something stops him. Acronix did nothing but run away when Cyrus recognized her. For all he knows, she's trying to reform herself, build a new life. The problem is not knowing – _could_ she be up to something? And does she know where Krux is?

He figures there's at least one way to find out. Cyrus picks up his phone and calls the store manager.

* * *

Nyx is clearly nervous. Cyrus would be lying if he said he wasn't. He doesn't usually meet with store employees in private, so the store manager is confused, but doesn't argue when Cyrus asks her to leave. Nyx says nothing as the door closes and the two of them are left alone.

Cyrus takes a deep breath. "I'm going to ask you some questions," he says. "I would appreciate it if you answered them truthfully. Are you Acronix?"

"No," says Nyx, in what is recognizably Acronix's voice.

Cyrus stares at her for a very long moment.

Nyx slides down in her chair. "Okay! Yes! Yes, I am."

"Okay," Cyrus says, feeling his heart pounding. It occurs to him that he's alone in a room with one of the people who kidnapped him. He tries not to think about that. "What are you doing here?"

"How long until the ninja get here?"

"What?"

Nyx glares at him. "The ninja are on their way, aren't they?"

"No."

She blinks. "What?"

Cyrus frowns. "I have not told the ninja you've returned to Ninjago, because you have not given me a reason to think you are doing anything that requires their attention. If that changes, of course I will contact them, but as of right now, they have no idea who you are."

"So I'm not fired?"

"The manager was worried about that. She kept assuring me you're an excellent employee and a credit to the company. She would be very upset to lose you. No, I'm not going to fire you."

"So why are you here?"

Why is he here, indeed. It can't just be to make sure she isn't up to anything, because if that was the case, Cyrus would have told the ninja. Why did he insist on meeting with Nyx alone?

"Closure, maybe," Cyrus says. "Listen, Nyx –"

"You can call me Acronix," she says. "It's still my name, I just can't go by it in public because, well…" She shakes her head. "You know who I am. You can call me Acronix."

"Acronix, then." It was easier to think of her as Nyx, like she's not the same person who kidnapped him. "You must be aware that you caused me a great deal of pain."

Acronix slides further down in her seat. "I'm sorry."

The apology catches him off guard; Cyrus can't speak for a moment. "Sorry is not enough," he manages to say. "But… it seems like you're building a new life for yourself, here. If I suspected otherwise, we would not be having this conversation."

"So you're here because…"

"You seem like a very interesting person, Acronix. I saw it during our… previous interactions, and I see some of it here now, too." Cyrus pauses before he says his next sentence. "I would like to get to know you. Perhaps it will help me move on."

Acronix opens her mouth and says nothing.

Cyrus checks his watch. "You should get back to work," he says. "If you are willing to meet with me outside of your work schedule… I would appreciate that."

She nods. "Yes," she says. "That… is fine by me."

* * *

Acronix and Krux are arguing.

Cyrus can hear them in the next room over. Machia is still observing him, so he doesn't dare to stop work on the machine to eavesdrop. He tries to listen, though, glancing up every so often at the open door.

"Look at this!" Acronix is saying. "Technology can improve the lives of so many people! If we use that –"

"You haven't seen how technology spreads and festers, turning people into mindless zombies!" Krux snarls. "It's nothing but a plague! We'd be better off if we weren't so dependent on it!"

Technology is the only reason Cyrus is alive. His hands are shaking so badly, he can barely keep them steady enough to cut the wires accurately. He keeps his head down, hyperaware of the dozens of beady snake eyes on him.

"You can't actually think that getting rid of all modern technology is the answer!"

"Look at you! It's already sucked you in, and you've barely been here for a week!"

"It hasn't sucked me in –"

"How can you be this oblivious?!"

"I am _not_ –"

Cyrus hears a loud _smack,_ and they both fall silent. Cyrus freezes. He hears Machia hiss softly.

Krux speaks up. "I'm sorry, I –"

"You hit me!" Acronix shouts.

"I didn't mean it, I –"

"You _hit_ me!"

"I'm so sorry, Acronix, you know I'd never –"

"No! I don't want to hear it!"

" _Acronix_ –"

Acronix storms into the room Cyrus is working in and slams the door. Cyrus says nothing as Acronix sits in the seat next to him, glaring at the door. He can feel the tense atmosphere laying thick around them, and it's difficult to keep working, so when Machia leaves, Cyrus is grateful for the chance to put down his tools and answer Acronix's questions about the BorgPad.

* * *

Cyrus warns Acronix not to come to the tower; the face scanners would instantly identify her, and that would cause problems Cyrus isn't prepared to deal with right now. In public places, Cyrus would be recognized, and that would cause it's own problems that neither of them are interested in facing. Really, it makes sense for them to meet at Acronix's apartment.

He tells his secretary to expect him back in two hours, maybe later when he accounts for travel time. The car is self-driving, so he doesn't have to worry about any drivers asking questions – no, the only person Cyrus brings with him is one of the nindroids, called back to Ninjago City from Hiroshi's Labyrinth, where he had been guarding the Realm Crystal.

Min is smaller than the other nindroids; Cyrus isn't clear on the details, but from his understanding, "Mindroid" was the last of the nindroids to be built under the Overlord's command, and materials were low. When he repurposed the nindroids to be used for security, he found himself growing fond of Min, and, slowly, the other nindroids as well.

It was an interesting quirk of Min's that he didn't speak, communicating instead through sign, body language, and beeps. Cyrus spent a long time trying to find the bug, but it wasn't anything that could be fixed without completely reprogramming Mindroid, and if he was willing to do that, he would just build new robots instead of repurposing the ones the Overlord made; the whole point was that they were people, just like Pixal, just like Cyrus himself, and even if they had been created by the Overlord, they were still Cyrus' _children,_ almost, just as Pixal is.

He is not sure if Min thinks of him as his father. Cyrus has never asked.

Min helps push Cyrus' wheelchair up the ramp to the apartment complex. It's not designed very well, he notes. Cyrus highly doubts any other wheelchair users live here, and if they did, they would have a very difficult time getting in and out of the building.

Acronix's apartment is on the first floor. Cyrus rings the doorbell and waits.

Mindroid beeps to get Cyrus' attention, then rapidly signs something he doesn't understand. Cyrus smiles sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Min, I don't quite, ah…"

Min rolls his visible eye and knocks hard on the door.

"Oh," says Cyrus. "Was the doorbell broken? I see."

There's commotion on the other side. "Just a minute!" Acronix yells, and there's the sound of something being dragged across the floor. Cyrus frowns. Mindroid lets out a long, low tone.

There's a loud _thud,_ and finally, the door opens a crack. Once Acronix can see who it is, she opens the door wider and grins. She's wearing sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. "You're here! Welcome! Ah –"

Her eyes fall on Mindroid. "I didn't feel comfortable coming here alone," Cyrus explains. "I hope he won't be a problem."

"Oh no, not at all," Acronix says. "It's… understandable."

Acronix's floor is covered in trash, and it's obvious a path has been cleared for Cyrus' wheelchair. She picks up a few loose pieces still in the way and throws them in the trash can with impressive accuracy. "This place is a mess," she says. "I don't have visitors. Obviously."

Judging by the marks on the floor, it looks like the dragging noise Cyrus had heard was the couch, which is now jammed awkwardly into the corner of the room. There's a low table in front of the television, covered in papers and magazines. Acronix picks up an energy drink left there and sits on the side of the couch. She seems much more confident than she was when they met in the Borg Store, but Cyrus can see her hand shaking.

"So," Acronix says. "You wanted to talk."

"Yes," says Cyrus.

Neither of them speak. Mindroid crosses his arms and starts rapidly tapping his foot as the silence stretches on.

Acronix clears her throat. "I want to apologize," she says. "I knew what we were doing was wrong, and I… still did it."

"You knew?" Cyrus says. "What tipped you off?"

He didn't mean to say it as aggressive as he did. Acronix doesn't flinch. "Krux," she says. "I thought he'd be happy, the closer we got to our goals. Instead, he was just… angrier and angrier. When I realized what was happening, that none of what we were doing – none of it was what we wanted…" She sighs. "It was too late."

Cyrus realizes something he hadn't thought of. "Where is Krux?"

"I don't know," Acronix says bluntly. "Still lost in time, maybe. Same with Wu."

"But you came back," Cyrus says. "Why didn't… well."

Acronix sadly shakes her head. "After the ninja escaped," she says, "Krux… Wu stopped us from following them, and Krux held him back and yelled at me to run. He said…"

She trails off. "You don't have to tell me," Cyrus says. "We're not exactly friends, at this stage. I… I can't imagine how hard it must be."

"Maybe one day," she says. "But this isn't about me, is it? You said you wanted to move on."

Cyrus nods. "I suppose what I wanted was to hear your side of the story," he says. "Then I can decide whether I'm capable of forgiving you or not. Either way… I wanted some sort of closure."

He catches Min's movement out of the corner of his eye. When he turns to look, Mindroid puts his hands behind his back and pretends he wasn't just swearing in sign.

"What did he just do?" Acronix asks.

"Said something rude, most likely."

Min lets out a trill of rapid, amused beeps. Cyrus shakes his head. "Ignore him," he says. "If he starts to bother you…"

"Don't worry about it," Acronix says. "Where should I start?"

Cyrus shrugs. "Whenever you want."

"Then I'll start from the beginning." Acronix hesitates. "What is there to say? We were young and stupid." She looks down at her hands. "I'm still young and stupid. It's been over forty years for the rest of Ninjago, and nothing has changed for me."

"It doesn't look like nothing has changed," Cyrus says.

Acronix snorts. "It feels much different to me, I assure you."

She explains most of what Cyrus already knew. She doesn't touch on her motives, nor her brother's, simply describing their actions. They were going to rule over Ninjago. They fought the elemental masters. They were stripped of their powers. They followed the time blades into the portal. "Krux tried to follow the blade with his reversal powers," she says. "We were separated, and then I was back in the monastery, forty years in the future. I…" Her voice wavers. "I had to find Krux. I had no way of knowing where he was, _when_ he was – but I had to find him. When I did… he was so much older, and I couldn't… all the time we lost…" Her hands clench into fists. "I wanted Wu to suffer for what he and his brother did to us."

"So you kidnapped me," Cyrus says.

"I did what Krux said we had to do," Acronix says. "We would have never been able to build the time machine on our own. I was – I was able to justify it to myself that way."

Cyrus says nothing.

"I'm sorry," Acronix says after a long moment. "I shouldn't have done it. I should've tried to talk my brother out of it. I was angry, and… I didn't think of the people I was hurting."

"You should've tried to talk your brother out of it," Cyrus repeats. "Why didn't you?"

"I told you, I was angry! Wu took so much from us, and I – Krux had forty years to move on, and I didn't." She looks away. "Time heals all wounds, but what Wu and Garmadon did to us will take much, much longer."

"If you could do it over again, what would you do differently?"

Acronix sighs. "I would've told Krux it wouldn't work. That we would be defeated, even with the Iron Doom. Maybe then we could've figured out a way to get revenge without going back in time and… doing the same thing over again. Maybe then I would still have my brother."

Cyrus considers his next words. He doesn't want to upset Acronix, not when she's still missing her brother. Despite their bouts of arguing, it had been obvious how much Acronix and Krux cared for each other.

Before he can speak, there's a knock on the door.

Acronix and Cyrus both stiffen. "Are you expecting anyone?" Cyrus asks cautiously.

"No," says Acronix, standing up. "Did you tell anyone you were here?"

"No."

"Really?"

Mindroid answers the door while they're distracted.

Cyrus recognizes Pixal's voice. "Min? What are you doing here?"

"Pixal?" Cyrus says.

Min smoothly moves out of the way as Pixal steps inside. She doesn't look happy. "My father asked me to go through the database and check to see if the Hands of Time had returned under a false name," she says, her sight focused on Acronix. "I found a match, and tracked you here."

Acronix backs up to the edge of the cramped apartment. Cyrus realizes he needs to prevent the situation from escalating.

"There's been a misunderstanding," he says, quickly wheeling himself between Pixal and Acronix. "Pixal, I came here of my own free will. I knew who I was meeting with, and I took the necessary precautions." He nods at Min, who beeps in acknowledgement.

Pixal frowns. "Why did you come?"

Acronix opens her mouth to speak. Cyrus raises a hand to stop her. "Quite frankly, that is between me and Acronix," he says. "You didn't need to come here. I would've appreciated a message first, at the very least."

"I did not intend to find you here, Father," Pixal says. "I assumed you were still at the tower. I had a different purpose in mind."

"Which is?" Acronix growls.

Pixal looks back at the door, which Mindroid has closed. "Min," she says, "could you open that again?"

He obliges. Kai and Zane, both dressed in their ninja uniforms, step inside, Zane giving Min a friendly pat on the head. Min flips him off.

"Why are you here?!" Acronix snaps.

"Came to make sure you weren't up to anything," Kai says casually. "Ask a few questions, maybe. This place is a mess, by the way."

"Your space isn't any better," Zane says.

Cyrus buries his face in his hands. "Pixal, you really shouldn't have brought them here."

"Informing the ninja should've been your priority," Pixal says. "You know they've been searching for Sensei Wu for months, now."

"I don't know where Wu is," says Acronix.

"Alright," says Kai, and he takes a few steps closer. "Sure. So how did you get back here?"

"Same way you did."

"Yeah, well –"

"Kai and Nya told the rest of us that Sensei stayed behind to prevent you and Krux from following them," Zane says. "And yet, here you are."

Acronix crosses her arms. "It's none of your business. Last I saw them, Wu and Krux were still on the Iron Doom. I don't know if either of them got out, or where they are now if they did."

"You must know something," Zane insists.

"We didn't come all this way just for you to say you don't know where they are!" Kai says loudly.

"Ninja, please calm down," Cyrus says. "Acronix hasn't done anything to harm anyone since arriving back in Ninjago. There's no need for this aggression."

"Have you forgotten that she was one of the people who kidnapped you?" Pixal says.

"No, Pixal, I have not forgotten." Cyrus narrows his eyes. "I don't appreciate you using that against me."

"I didn't –" Pixal shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Father," she says. "I didn't mean it that way. What I am trying to say is that…" She hesitates. "…it is surprising to me, that you are willing to meet with her like this."

Cyrus can't help but laugh at that, just a little. "Good to know your old man can still surprise you, sometimes."

Kai rolls his eyes. "You're not that old. You're like, the youngest dad I know."

Cyrus ignores him. "Please, Pixal, I can take care of myself.

Pixal stands there in silence for a few long moments – long especially for her, who measures time in milliseconds. Finally, she says, "I think it's time for us to go."

"What?!" Kai exclaims. "No! We still have to –"

Zane puts a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think we'll find answers here," he says. "Let's go, Kai."

Kai glares at Acronix, but lets Zane lead him out. After a moment, Pixal leaves, too. Mindroid closes the door behind them. Acronix visibly relaxes once they're gone.

"That could've gone worse," she says.

Cyrus clears his throat. "I'm sorry," he says. "I didn't think… I had forgotten I told Pixal to check that for me. Of course she would've found you."

"It's fine," says Acronix. "If you'd like, we could… meet again, maybe?"

"That would be good. Hopefully next time we won't be interrupted."

He smiles. Acronix manages a smile back, and on that awkward note, the visit is over.

* * *

Acronix visits him often, while he's working on the device. Cyrus finds himself almost looking forward to the visits. It's a horrible situation he's in, he knows, but Acronix is so genuinely interested in technology, so excited about asking Cyrus questions… if he pretends he's not kidnapped, it's almost pleasant.

Things start getting tense when the Iron Doom nears completion.

Krux starts coming in to check his work much more frequently, and his visits wouldn't be pleasant under normal circumstances, let alone these ones. Cyrus stays quiet, explains the best he can why the time machine isn't ready yet, and eventually, Krux storms away after demanding he work faster.

Knowing the Hands of Time are so close to their goal – Cyrus knows he has to do something. But Machia is watching him so closely, and when he finally gets a chance to input the self-destruct code, she puts a hand on his shoulder and asks what he's doing, and he feels the snakes poke around his neck.

He can't look Acronix in the eye, during the next visit.

Not that there are many more visits. Acronix goes out on missions frequently, trying to find the remaining two time blades with Krux. Cyrus hears snippets of their conversations – it's likely that the pause blade will appear soon, but they can't seem to predict when the reversal blade will fall, if it hasn't fallen already, and the machine won't work without all four.

Cyrus wants it to be over. He wants to go home. He wants something to happen, wants to be rescued, wants his work to be done – something, anything, but he wants to go _home,_ and nothing Acronix does can change that.

* * *

They meet again at Acronix's apartment. Cyrus tells Pixal beforehand, asking that she please not worry, and don't interrupt again. Pixal tells him to bring Mindroid, and to please send another message when he's home, because otherwise, she'll come to get him. Cyrus figures that's reasonable enough.

Their conversation is difficult. Acronix makes coffee; Cyrus sips at it despite it being far too strong for his taste. They exchange casual pleasantries, and then cautiously approach the subject of Cyrus' captivity.

"I didn't know what I thought," Acronix says. "I knew how you must have been feeling, and I thought – I thought I could be a comfort, somehow, even if I was the reason you were there."

"Well, you weren't entirely wrong." Cyrus taps his finger on one of his wheels. "If you didn't talk to me, or if you treated me like your brother did, my experience would have been… worse. Though, of course, setting me free would have been a greater comfort – or not kidnapping me at all, even."

Acronix looks away. "I wish I had," she says softly. "Set you free. I thought about it, but… I was afraid of what my brother would do."

"Would he hurt you?"

She stares at him in alarm. "Of course not!" she says. "Never! He slapped me _once_ and was so torn up about it – no, I was afraid of what he would do to himself."

Cyrus thinks about that, after he's left. Min pushes his wheelchair back to the car, and Cyrus takes the time to lean back, stare at the sky, and think.

The next visit, Cyrus asks her about Krux.

Acronix goes on and on about her brother – "He cares so much, so intensely… he always demanded the best for his family. Our mother, when she was alive, and then just me." She shakes her head and grins. "He's stubborn, too. To a fault, almost – but he can tell when it's really important. When I came out to him, it was so easy for him to make the change from brother to sister, like he knew all along. Maybe he did!"

Cyrus smiles. "It sounds like he loved you a lot."

Acronix's smile vanishes. "He did," she says. "Still does, I'm certain."

She hesitates for a long time before continuing. "I still hope he'll come back," she says. "I don't know when, but… he waited forty years for me. I can do the same for him."

During the next visit, Acronix throws her empty soda can over Cyrus' head and into the trash, and Mindroid reacts by trying to pull Cyrus' wheelchair to the door. Cyrus gives him a long, _long_ lecture about how he should never move his wheelchair without permission. Both Min and Acronix are uncomfortable when he's done.

"I'm sorry," Acronix says.

Cyrus doesn't know what she's talking about at first. "Why are you apologizing?" he says. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Acronix cringes, and Cyrus immediately remembers when he was kidnapped, how Acronix had grabbed his wheelchair and taken him away. He ends up going home early.

The next visit –

"Why are you doing this?" Acronix asks.

Cyrus blinks. "Doing what?"

"You know! These visits, talking to me, I –" She makes a wide gesture at the messy apartment around them. Cyrus can see marks on the floor from his wheelchair. "– you said you wanted closure, but you haven't left!"

"I'm sorry, Acronix. If these visits are upsetting…"

"They're not," says Acronix. "That's the problem."

"I… what?"

Acronix shakes her head. "I know I hurt you," she says. "I know that nothing will change that. But… I still like talking to you. And I know, when this is over and you get your closure, you'll stop coming. So I'm trying to remember that, trying not to get attached – but it's hard!"

"I…" Cyrus struggles to find words. "Closure may have not been the right word."

"Then what do you want?"

"I don't…" He's about to say he doesn't know, but that would be a lie. Cyrus breathes in, out, and in again, all the while Acronix stares at him.

Finally, he decides on what to say.

"I told you," he says. "I wanted to get to know you, and I wanted to move on. I believe I have made progress on both of those fronts. But…"

Why are the words so hard? Acronix is waiting for him to continue.

"…moving on is a tricky thing to define." Cyrus looks down at his lap. "Pixal might say that by continuing to visit you, I am still holding on to the past. Perhaps that would be the case for others, but for me, I think that getting to know you has helped. Knowing that you regret your actions, that you're sorry, that you're truly working towards a new life… it has helped me to forgive you."

"Forgive me?" Acronix says in disbelief.

"Yes," Cyrus says. "Forgiveness is also hard to define. What does it mean? What actions does it represent? I certainly could have moved on without forgiving you, and if you hadn't been willing to reform, things would have been different. But I first arranged these meetings with the idea that I could forgive you, eventually – and I wasn't wrong."

"But… what does that mean?" Acronix asks. "If you forgive me…"

She trails off, her mouth hanging open. Cyrus chuckles. "For one, it means we can develop this relationship, see where it takes us." He smiles. "You don't have to put up with me until I find closure and leave. No, you're stuck with me for a while longer."

Acronix stares at him for a moment longer, then breaks into a grin. "That's a relief," she says. "And here I was thinking you were the one putting up with me!"

"Of course not! You're a pleasure to be around, Acronix."

She laughs out loud at that. "I can say the same for you, Mister Borg!"

When it's time to go, Cyrus almost doesn't want to leave, but Pixal will worry if he's out late, and Mindroid is tapping his foot impatiently. Once they've set a date for the next visit, he can't keep a smile off his face.

* * *

They find a relatively private spot to have lunch at, after Acronix announces that she's sick of her apartment. " _I_ won't be recognized," she says. "Not as long as you remember to call me Nyx and not Acronix."

"I'm not sure," Cyrus says. "I almost slipped up the other day. Pixal had to cover for me."

"Ah." Acronix frowns. "How is she… uh… feeling, these days?"

"In general? Fairly well. Towards you?" Cyrus hisses air through his teeth. "She's… not entirely approving of our visits, but she tolerates them."

Acronix shrugs. "That's about what I expected. So where should we eat?"

Cyrus lets Acronix choose the restaurant; he tried to suggest one himself, but when Acronix looked it up, the prices nearly made her drop her phone. "My pay is good," she tells him, "but it's not _that_ good!"

So they go somewhere casual. Cyrus insists they make a reservation, despite Acronix saying they didn't need one. "It's not very busy this time of day," she says. "Most people are working, but I got today off."

"Still! They could end up being busy, and then we'll have to wait." Cyrus frowns. "Though… it should probably be under your name. Borg would be a little… conspicuous."

He leaves Mindroid at the tower, and they make it to the restaurant without any major events. There's a brief kerfuffle when the waitress addresses Acronix as "sir" and Cyrus and Acronix both correct her at once. She pauses for a long time, then says, "Uh, okay," and almost leaves without taking their food orders.

Acronix is clearly unhappy about the interaction, and she slides down in her seat. "I don't pass," she mumbles. "I mean, yeah, I'm not on hormones yet, but it still sucks, knowing that everyone who sees me will think I'm a man if I don't tell them. At least I'm out at my job."

"How is your job, by the way?" Cyrus asks. "I just make the product, I'm not involved in managing the sales, so I wouldn't know myself."

"It's not bad," Acronix says. "Probably not what I want to spend the rest of my life doing, but it's not bad. Like I said, I can be out as myself, there, and I'm told I'm good at fixing devices."

"That's impressive! I remember you were able to take apart the BorgPad during our, ah, previous time together." It's still an awkward topic, but Cyrus can now mention the time he was imprisoned without feeling dread and panic at the memories – so long as he treads lightly, of course. "Must be easier now without having to make your own tools, isn't it?"

"Oh! Once we couldn't find the right screwdriver, so I showed everyone the pen melting trick! The boss was so impressed, she let me off the hook for lighting a fire in the store!"

"You _what_ –"

Acronix laughs out loud while Cyrus stares in horror. "You can't light a fire in the store!" he says.

"C'mon, it was just a candle, it was fine."

He shakes his head. Acronix is still grinning at him, and Cyrus can't help but smile. "As long as you don't make a habit of it. Hopefully our tools are more than sufficient."

He really has moved on, Cyrus realizes. He doesn't feel the need to talk to Acronix about their history. They can build something new together, and Cyrus really treasures what they've built so far. Pixal's made it clear that she expects these visits to end, eventually, but Cyrus can't imagine he would ever want them to.

"What are you thinking about?"

Cyrus pulls himself back to reality. "Ah, nothing, I just… was thinking."

Acronix laughs again. "Clearly!"

"A –" He catches himself. "– ah, Nyx, how do you feel about me?"

Her smile disappears. "I'm sorry?"

Cyrus swallows hard. "You said before, you were trying not to get… attached. Is that still true?"

"No," Acronix says immediately. "I mean, uh –"

She flushes. Cyrus can feel his heart pounding. Why is he so nervous?

He can tell Acronix is choosing her words carefully. "I was only trying not to get attached because I thought it would be over soon," she says. "It's different now. It could still end, but it's not _inevitable_ now."

Cyrus nods. "I said we could develop our relationship," he says, "and, well…"

He's finding it hard to look Acronix in the eye. Her face is still flushed; has she realized what's happening? Cyrus reaches out across the table to cover her hand with his own.

"I would like to develop it… further."

Acronix gasps. Despite knowing it's possible that his feelings are not returned, Cyrus can't keep the grin off his face. Knowing Acronix as he does now, he's certain this is the right decision. There are all sorts of ways his confession could end poorly – and yet, the chance of how it could go so _right_ is worth the risk.

Still. He hopes he hasn't ruined everything.

"What do you think?" he says, after Acronix doesn't respond.

Acronix squeezes her eyes shut for a moment, covers her face with her free hand, and peeks out at Cyrus with one eye. "Are you sure?" she whispers.

"Of course!" Cyrus says. "I know we have our history, but I've long since found the closure I needed. We can have something else, now, something new. The future is what we make it, after all!"

That causes Acronix to snort into her hand. She makes no move to pull her other hand away from Cyrus' grip.

"I mean, you're certainly not obligated to reciprocate," Cyrus says quickly. "If you would rather we remain just friends, that's fine, too. I… don't want to lose what we have, in the event that you do not feel romantically inclined towards me."

"Okay."

"I… okay?"

Acronix uncovers her face and grasps Cyrus' hand in both of her own. She's smiling, too. "Okay!" she says. "We can date!"

Cyrus' heart skips a beat. "Really?"

"Yes!"

"Wow!" Cyrus says, and immediately thinks that's _such_ a dopey thing to say. Acronix seems to think it's hilarious, judging by how she's struggling to contain her laughter. "I mean – wonderful! I, ah… I'm so happy, Nyx, I…"

He trips over his words, caught up in staring at Acronix's face. She looks so happy, and Cyrus thinks, he wants to keep her that happy forever. Not that that's possible, no one can be happy all the time, and surely the honeymoon phase of their relationship will fade and they'll argue and cry and have all the problems other couples have – but they have that future together, now! They'll be able to face whatever life has to challenge them, he's sure of it.

* * *

He's unsure how to break the news to his family. Of course he's going to tell Pixal, but knowing how she feels about Acronix has him… not quite looking forward to the conversation. "Please don't tell Pixal yet," he says to Mindroid back in Borg Tower. "I want to tell her on my own terms, I just –"

"Tell me what?"

Cyrus starts. "Pixal?!"

Min turns around as Pixal enters the room, her arms crossed over her chest. "What is it, Father?" she says, her voice hard. "I know you and Acronix have been meeting up frequently, sometimes without Min or anyone else to protect you."

"I don't need –"

She ignores him and continues. "I know you're friends, now. I know you must have forgiven her, and I know you must have intended to forgive her from the beginning."

"You're saying this like it's a bad thing!"

"I know whatever you need to tell me has something to do with her. That much is obvious. Not everything was." Pixal pauses. "But I had the evidence, and I had the processing power to piece them together. You're in love with her, aren't you?"

Cyrus sputters wordlessly for a moment. "I – Pixal, I wouldn't – we only just –"

He cuts himself off and takes a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. "…I have… a romantic interest in her, yes," she says. "And I believe the feelings are reciprocated. Pixal…"

Pixal shakes her head. "I… I'm sorry, Father."

Cyrus blinks. "You're… sorry?"

Despite all the processing power she was built with, Pixal takes a few moments to continue, and Cyrus can tell the words are hard for her. "I have not… acted appropriately. I should not doubt your judgement. Acronix has done something to deserve your forgiveness, I'm sure, and I… had no interest in knowing what it was. Perhaps I am… malfunctioning, in some way. But I am sorry, for how I've treated both her and you."

"Oh, Pixal…" Cyrus brings his wheelchair close to her. "You aren't malfunctioning. I never intended you to be a perfect being who did no wrong. I wanted you to be human, and humans make mistakes." He chuckles. "You know everything I build works perfectly, Pixal! You are no exception."

Pixal doesn't look any happier. "It's hard for me," she says. "Knowing you forgive her… I don't understand why. I will never forgive Ronin for what he did to Zane and I."

That's right – Pixal was kidnapped too, long ago, by a thief who sold her and Zane to a cult. "And you never have to," Cyrus says. "I… don't have the most positive feelings towards him, either."

"So what makes Acronix different?"

"She apologized. She was willing to sit down with me and talk about what happened – without the expectation that I would, ever, forgive her. And even when I was… held against my will, there were times when I thought we could've been friends, had things been different. That I would've liked to meet her in better circumstances." Cyrus smiles. "And when I had that chance, I… saw a side of her I had only seen glimpses of, before."

Pixal hums and says nothing.

"You should talk to her, Pixal. She's really a fine woman. I'm sure Min can attest to that, having been present for most of our conversations."

Min jerks his head around from where he had been staring out the window.

"I understand if it's hard. I can't tell you how to process your feelings. But I can try to help you, as best I can. You know I love you, Pixal, my daughter."

He reaches up and hugs her. Pixal hugs him back. "I love you too, Father," she says. "I… I think I understand more, now."

"You can always talk to me, you know that."

"I do." Pixal squeezes him tighter. "Thank you."

* * *

Their next date – their first real one after beginning their relationship – is a movie night. Cyrus invites Acronix to Borg Tower, after making sure she's removed from the face scanner's database. Pixal is the one who greets her when she arrives. Acronix is surprised at how polite she is, and she tells Cyrus this once Pixal leaves the two of them alone.

"I thought she didn't like me," Acronix says, sitting on the couch next to Cyrus. "Which is. Y'know. Understandable, but…"

"I had a talk with her," Cyrus says. "She's still not fond of you, but she's more open to giving you a chance. I told her she should talk to you, but I don't know when she'll be comfortable enough to do that."

Acronix nods. "I see. What are we watching?"

"Oh! I thought I'd let you choose from what I have here – it's a mix of classics from the last forty years and some of the more recent CGI animation. The latter is all kid movies, but that doesn't make them bad, and I'm a big fan of the technological advancements in animation." He picks up one of the movies. "Did you know that the short that plays before this movie rendered millions of grains of sand that are made up of thousands of polygons _each?_ "

"I… don't know what that means, but it sounds incredible."

"It takes a lot of power to compute it all, I'll say that much." He puts that disc down and picks up the next one. "This one is a classic, and, well… it's about time travel."

Acronix laughs. "Well! That seems like the obvious choice!"

"At least look at it before you make a decision!" Cyrus hands it over to her, and while she's reading the back, he grabs a few of the other discs. "I brought up about a dozen, and there's no reason we can't watch more than one. That is, depending on how we feel after the first one."

"Let's watch this one first."

"Alright!"

Cyrus sets up the movie on the laptop, then gets himself comfortable on the couch and puts an arm around Acronix. It's a little awkward – even when they're both sitting, Acronix is taller than he is – but Acronix smiles and reaches to grab his other hand, which is nice, but now Cyrus doesn't have a free hand to start the movie.

Once the movie's started and they've settled into a comfortable configuration, Cyrus tries not to glance at Acronix to watch her reactions. With how close they are, she'll be able to feel it every time he turns his head, and he doesn't want to distract her. Besides, he can hear Acronix laugh at the appropriate times, and gasp at the dramatic parts. At one point, she says, "Wait, how is that the future?" and Cyrus has to move to look up when the movie came out.

When the movie is close to ending, Cyrus realizes something is off.

He's been so caught up in his rewatch that he didn't notice Acronix had stopped laughing. Her breathing is slow and steady, and he almost thinks she's fallen asleep, but when he turns his head, it looks like she's… crying?

"Acronix?"

Acronix sniffs, and her breathing falls out of it's rhythm. She wipes at her eyes and says, "I'm okay."

"Are you sure? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's just –" She takes a deep, shuddering breath. "I miss my brother."

"Oh." Cyrus moves and pauses the movie. "Do you… want to talk about him?"

Acronix turns her head away. "I don't know," she says. "I just… keep thinking about him. When we were kids, when we were older… and when I fell out of the portal, and he was so much older. I wish we could've had that time together. I wish…"

She sobs and covers her mouth. Cyrus pulls her into a hug. She buries her face in his shoulder, and Cyrus can feel her shaking.

"I'm sorry," he says. "I… I wish there was something I could do to bring him back."

"Really?" Acronix says, her voice muffled.

"Yes. I don't know if I could forgive him the way I have you. It may be that I would never forgive him. But… it's sad, to think that I might never know. That I might never get the chance to have that closure."

"I don't think he's coming back," Acronix says.

"You're… you're certain?"

She nods, Cyrus feeling the movement against his shoulder. "When… when we were on the Iron Doom, he… held Wu back, told me to run. I didn't want to leave him behind, I tried to help him, and Krux…"

She lifts her head up and wipes her face on her sleeve. "He said I could change," she says. "And that he couldn't. That he was too old, too set in his ways, and I wasn't. I told him I wouldn't leave, and he… pushed me out." SHe sniffs again. "He could've escaped, too. We could've been together. But he… he didn't want to come with me."

Cyrus hugs her tighter in lieu of having anything to say. Acronix shudders and presses her face back against Cyrus' shoulder.

"He was wrong," she mumbles. "I haven't changed. I can't change. I'm still the same person who went into that portal, and I'm never going to move past that."

"I don't think that's true. I think you have changed."

"Doesn't feel like it," Acronix says bitterly.

"You have changed," Cyrus insists. "You had to – for survival, if nothing else. You had to build a new life, a new identity – I can't imagine how hard that must have been. You had to change."

Acronix is quiet. Cyrus rubs her back softly. "And you'll keep changing," he says. "You'll stay the same person, but you'll change, too. Everyone does. And life will get easier, with time."

"I wish he was here," Acronix says. "I wish… I don't know. I don't know! I miss him! I want him back! And I'm never going to see him again! It's not fair!"

There's nothing that Cyrus can do, nothing that can be done. Going into time to find Krux again is beyond his, or anyone else's capabilities. All he can do in the moment is hug Acronix while she sobs.

* * *

Acronix spends the night at the tower. Cyrus was going to extend the offer to her from the start, and after she spends nearly a quarter hour sobbing, they both agree she's in no state to be going home by herself this late. Pixal finds a spare room for her, and they part for the night.

The next morning, they meet for breakfast in the private cafeteria. Acronix is wearing the same clothes as yesterday, but she still manages to look nice. Cyrus waves her over to where he's sitting at the window. "I hope you found your way alright?"

She nods, rubbing her eyes. "Thanks for letting me stay."

"Don't worry about it! It's no trouble at all. Do you have work today?"

"Not until noon." Acronix sits down and yawns. "I'll make sure to leave in time to pick up my uniform from home."

She turns to stare out the window. Cyrus looks out with her. The twentieth floor, only a fifth of the way up the tower, isn't quite high enough to surpass the neighboring buildings, but they can still see cars and people on the streets below.

"I wish he could have liked this future," Acronix says, and Cyrus doesn't need her to tell him who she's talking about. "He… he told me he hated it, that we were going to make it better… but I think it's beautiful the way it is."

"There's still a lot of pain," Cyrus finds himself saying. "Some say technology does so much harm that overpowers the good. It's not that difficult to understand his perspective."

Acronix sighs. "Maybe."

She sounds so sad – Cyrus thinks about how happy she was when he confessed his feelings, and wishes he could repeat that moment, have her experience that same happiness over and over. He reaches across the table and grasps her hand.

"You know," he says, "the ninja are still looking for Wu. I've been lending them equipment to track temporal anomalies. If they find him… they could find Krux, too."

Acronix manages a smile. "He won't be happy to see them."

"No, of course not. He'll be much happier to see you."

She breaks out into a wide grin, and rubs at her eyes again. "Yes," she says, her voice trembling. "Yes, he will be."

Cyrus knows their relationship will not be without its hardships. They'll argue. They'll hurt. The honeymoon phase will end. Cyrus knows they won't feel like this forever – but isn't that a good thing, too? The pain won't last. Their infatuation will fade and be replaced by something stronger. Maybe Krux will never return, and maybe he will, and either way, Cyrus believes they can make it through.

"Can I kiss you?" Cyrus asks, and immediately feels heat rise in his cheeks. Acronix laughs and leans across the table to meet his lips with her own.

Cyrus doesn't want this moment to end – and at the same time, he knows there's a bright future ahead of them.

**THE END**


End file.
